Economic Scene - Success of Stimulus Bill Is Noteworthy as Another Is Weighed - NYTimes.com

Economic Scene - Success of Stimulus Bill Is Noteworthy as Another Is Weighed - NYTimes.com:

"Imagine if, one year ago, Congress had passed a stimulus bill that really worked.

Let’s say this bill had started spending money within a matter of weeks and had rapidly helped the economy. Let’s also imagine it was large enough to have had a huge impact on jobs — employing something like two million people who would otherwise be unemployed right now.

If that had happened, what would the economy look like today?

Well, it would look almost exactly as it does now. Because those nice descriptions of the stimulus that I just gave aren’t hypothetical. They are descriptions of the actual bill.

Just look at the outside evaluations of the stimulus. Perhaps the best-known economic research firms are IHS Global Insight, Macroeconomic Advisers and Moody’s Economy.com. They all estimate that the bill has added 1.6 million to 1.8 million jobs so far and that its ultimate impact will be roughly 2.5 million jobs. The Congressional Budget Office, an independent agency, considers these estimates to be conservative."

SnowMageddon Vets Storm Capital!

Paul Reickhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, explains why President Barack Obama’s pledge to bring the troops home is not enough and why more focus needs to be placed on how to help them after they’re back in the U.S.

Washington (CNN) -- The blizzard that hit Washington couldn't have come at a worse time for a leading veterans group -- but the name for its legislative push this week is certainly fitting.

Despite the monster snowstorm, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization is taking its Storm the Hill campaign directly to members of Congress and administration officials to push for veterans' rights.

Because of a fresh round of snowfall Tuesday night -- and the federal government being closed much of this week -- many of their meetings have been canceled or postponed.

Group founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff, an Army veteran, said that despite "snowmageddon," they've been cracking away at the meetings that are still on.

He added that members are beyond determined to show up.

"We have a guy who came in from Michigan, who took four different planes to get here," he said. "Most of our folks have been through much worse than a blizzard, so they're able to handle this and keep driving on."

Continue on CNN..

How to Win as a Nice Guy

With V-Day coming up, I thought I'd post an article I liked from Mens health...

Men always ask us why women won't sleep with nice guys. We will. It's just that jerks have been able to perfect the first-impression package that catches our attention. And in our years as sex-advice columnists, it has become clear that you good guys can learn from the players. Just follow these steps to score like a jerk—without becoming one yourself.

Make Her Laugh

If she's cracking up, she's too busy having a good time to wonder about your motives (not the case if you insist on supersmooth, seriously seductive pickup lines). Sharing a laugh makes her feel you two are "connecting." In fact, it's a far better indicator that she'll go home with you than sharing a kiss. But please, no knock-knock jokes or movie quotes—you have to be witty and irreverent.

Funny stories are always good—Em's fiancé cracked her up the first time they met by recounting how he got chased down by his neighbor's pet monkey after making monkey faces at it. And a cloak of humor can disguise your intentions just enough: Ask her jokingly if she'd like to come up and see your etchings. After all, the truth is often spoken in jest.

Emma Taylor and Lorelei Sharkey wrote The Big Bang: Nerve's Guide to the New Sexual Universe. Seek their advice at emandlo.com.

Buy Her a Drink

But let her buy the next round. It blurs the lines between pickup artist and pickupee. Let her do a little of the work so she'll relax into being seduced. If you don't, it'll make her more judgmental (and more likely to give you the Heisman). If you insist that she not pay for anything, she'll see you as an old-fashioned control freak who thinks that women who put out on the first date aren't "girlfriend material."

Recruit a Wingwoman

Wingmen are for beer ads. Wingwomen are for closing the deal. When a woman sees a guy with cool female friends, she assumes a) he's a laugh to be around; b) he genuinely likes women, rather than just their body parts; c) he's not desperate; and d) he'll probably still respect her in the morning. Moreover, wingwomen—especially cute ones—create an air of friendly competition.


Your college gal pals make great wingwomen, because you've known them long enough for the relationship to be obviously platonic. Or, if one of your guy friends has a cool girlfriend, invite them both out: Most women in relationships are chronic match-makers. Confide in her that you need her help—she'll be flattered. Then let her work her magic.

Touch Her

After you've developed a rapport, find a lighthearted excuse for a little skin-to-skin contact—like a gentle shoulder punch when she makes you laugh, an elbow touch as you click on some shared delight, or a cozy duet at a karaoke bar. Or drag her onto the dance floor to something like Kings of Leon or upbeat Sinatra, so you can swing around together like a poor man's Fred and Ginger. But don't grope or gaze deeply into her eyes while putting your hand on her knee—she'll think you read some cheesy book on how to hook up (written by a man).

Compliment Her

But make it about something besides her appearance. She's heard a thousand guys tell her she has great skin, so it no longer even registers as a compliment—she just assumes you're trying to get in her pants. But if you are genuinely listening to her (You are, right? Hello?) and you manage to observe something about her inner person, it will get you far, because it's rare.


You could be totally off base, but it doesn't matter: People are always fascinated by a near stranger's assessment of their character. It's kind of like reading a horoscope. If she makes you laugh, tell her she's funny. If she says something sweet, tell her she's kind. If she tells a great story, ask if you can steal it. Years ago, a guy in a bar told Em she had great style, and she's never forgotten it—it's a million times better than "You look hot in that."

Stop Being So Considerate

Nice guys hate to offend, so they add "just kidding" after every sarcastic comment. It's the equivalent of smiley emoticons. You don't have to be so gushing and eager to please. Poke fun at her girly drink, her jukebox selections, her brick of a joke. You know, the way you made fun of the girls you really liked when you were in sixth grade.

Don't Whine, Complain, or Bitch

About anything—it's seriously unsexy. If you can't get a bartender's attention, for example, don't sigh loudly and complain about the service—laugh it off and ask her to give it a shot instead. And your problem at work? Don't care! We're drinking, here!

But Don't Be Arrogant

If you lay it on too thick and make yourself the focus (or, worse, the hero) of every story you tell, you know what we'll think? That you're insecure and desperate, and have something to prove. We can spot a Napoleon complex within 60 seconds.


What we like instead is self-deprecation—a guy who can laugh at himself. Make fun of yourself in the past tense. Everyone loves to bond about what dorks we were in high school. It proves that you can laugh at yourself while subtly conveying that you've become way cooler. One boyfriend of Lo's won her over by breaking out his hilariously hideous 1995 driver's-license photo. But be careful not to overdo the self-deprecation, lest you fail the next step.

Be Confident

Without this, you might as well forget the next eight steps, 'cause you ain't getting laid. We don't care what kind of Jedi mind trick it takes—a Raging Bull-style motivational speech in the bathroom mirror, or imagining her with a massive zit on her nose—you should force your body to act confident.

Don't slouch; do nod and smile when she's talking; and put your beer on the bar between sips, rather than clutching it like a life preserver. Because if you don't believe in yourself as a sex machine, she never will.

Garmin-Asus Unveils Android and Windows Nav Phones

http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=5481

posted Today, 8:33 AM by Eric M. Zeman

Today Garmin-Asus announced two new nuvifone's, the Android-powered A50 and the Windows Mobile 6.5.3-powered M10. The two devices share many features, including 3.5-inch touchscreens, 4GB of built-in storage, Microsoft Exchange support, full GPS, and tightly integrated navigation services.

• A50: This slab-style device has an HVGA capacitive display, accelerometer, 3 megapixel camera, and access to the Android Market. It includes an e-compass and Garmin's cityXplorer maps, which let users map walking or mass transit directions between points. The A50 will be available in Europe during the first half of 2010.
• M10: The M10 has a WVGA display with a 3D user interface. It supports Wi-Fi and HSDPA 3G networks, and has a 5 megapixel camera that automatically geo-tags pictures. It will be available in Asia and Europe during the first half of 2010.

AT&T sells a Garmin-branded nuvifone in the U.S., but there's no word if either of these devices will be available here.

Avatar available to watch in 4D, but only in Korea -- Engadget

Avatar available to watch in 4D, but only in Korea -- Engadget:

"Yo Carl Sagan, we found the fourth dimension! It was hiding in a South Korean movie theater all this time, and you can go try it out for the eminently affordable $15.80 a pop. CJ-CGV, an enterprising Korean cinema operator, has been offering its 4D experience for a year now, but Avatar's sellout success has led it to open three more '4D plexes.' The way the company finally cornered that elusive fourth dimension is by engaging all five senses: moving seats, wind, water sprinkling, lasers, and synthetic smells are all used in time with the movie. Sure, it's a gimmick and takes a loose interpretation of what the word dimension means, but at least it's unlikely you'll fall asleep during the movie, as some of us may or may not have done while watching the 3D screening."

Great Google-y Moogley what's the Buzz

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google is making it easier to socialize on its e-mail service. It's unveiling a new "Google Buzz" feature that sets up a face-off with Facebook.

The feature unveiled Tuesday will enable Gmail users to create status updates on Google Buzz and read and comment on the updates posted by their friends.

Other tools turn Gmail into a showcase for sharing video, pictures and Web links to interesting stories, just as users can on Facebook and Twitter.

Gmail's new twists are a direct response to Facebook's rapid rise since it started six years ago.

Facebook now has more than 400 million worldwide users, many of whom post information that can't be indexed by Google's search engine. Facebook's large audience also threatens to siphon away some of Google's advertising sales.

Google Buzz was described as 'a new way to share and communicate' in Gmail.

With the new product, Google seeks to solve what it characterizes as a 'relevancy and ranking problem' posed by the volume of content produced and shared on social media.

So I've been testing it the past two days myself, I definitely see the potential...this is what google wave should have been...


Check me out if you get a chance, ... http://www.google.com/profiles/Drunkmonkey1906



Here are some other interesting things google is upto....



GOOGLE PROVIDING THEIR OWN HIGH SPEED INTERNET:



GOOGLE GOGGLES.....



GOOGLE NEXUS ONE

Phone comes with SexTexts and get's man dumped!

A Winnipeg man is homeless and heartbroken after the woman he wanted to spend his life with found some salacious text messages on his cellphone.

The catch? He didn't write them.

For Darren P., who did not want his last name used, the cellphone fiasco began on Monday, when his girlfriend of two-and-a-half years stumbled on some naughty messages on his new work phone.

But those messages -- "Booty call," "Where u at," and "Be there soon" -- didn't come from Darren. They were pre-set text messages that came loaded on his Samsung Virgin Mobile phone.

"I said, 'That's ridiculous, why would I cheat?' There's things I believe about relationships... The first is that if you are in a relationship, you don't cheat," says Darren, 49, who notes he didn't know the phone was text-enabled. "I said, 'You're being ridiculous.' She said, 'No I'm not, here's the proof.' "

What happened next: a painful break-up, during which Darren -- who is now living with friends -- launched a quest to clear his name. He called Virgin Mobile, and was advised to file a written complaint, which he intends to do. He even walked into the Future Shop on Regent Avenue to show the offending messages to staff.

"At first, we didn't believe him," says Mike Ford, 20, a sales associate at the store. "But when we looked at a couple of the same phones he bought, and found they all had the same messages... We all felt horrible. We wanted to do whatever we could for him... He basically has to start his life over again. We're going to make sure that he's taken care of."

While Darren praises the compassion of Ford and his coworkers, who have kept in touch with the heartbroken man, he points the finger squarely at Virgin Mobile for selling phones with saucy texts to unsuspecting customers.

"It's not just teenagers buying these things. For people who don't know the technology, these things can be severely misconstrued," he says. "I'd like to see the phones recalled and the messages taken off, so that others don't have to go through the hell I'm going through."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/built-in-text-messages-ruined-life-says-city-man-83622857.html

Back to Monkey Business

What's good folks?! I know it's been a minute since I've been on my blog game. There is alot that I've been up to, and had to get things in order before I got back on here. I think this year is gonna be big for me in a few areas, working on several projects. I appreciate all the support the past few months. As some of you know I was in an accident back in early November, I survived it, and am still on the road to physical recovery but feeling pretty good right about now.

New Focus:

So going into 2010 I want to definitely keep folks abreast of need to know info related to politics, hip hop, and anything else that runs through my crazy brain, so be prepared for a lot coming down the pipeline....TWSS....More updates coming soon!